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The holidays are almost over and it seems like everyone is starting to settle back into a more routine pace of life. Here in Nelson the summer has been glorious and the sea a very nice temperature to dip in and cool off at the end of the working day.
Read MoreWell, 2023 flew by with a hiss and a roar and our busy and tired team are hunkering down for a well deserved rest!
Thank you to each and everyone of you who have joined us here for a course this year – it’s been a pleasure and a blast, and the feedback we continually receive is very complimentary and that makes it all the more worth while. For those of you who haven’t got around to hanging out in the workshop with us then we look forward to seeing you here soon.
Read MoreWelcome to our latest newsletter – just a quick catch up of what’s been happening here in the workshop – quite a lot actually....so many positive things happening in the world of fine woodworking....
Read MoreThe school workshop is full, busy and bustling with the final term of the 2023 Furniture Makers’ Programme and the 8-week Beginners Intensive Programme running side by side.
Of the fourteen students currently here with us it’s really heartwarming to see the make up of five women, five people who are under the age of 30 (including two eighteen year olds), people from all over Aotearoa and one overseas student. This gives an average age of forty years old for our current cohort, which demonstrates a definite shift in the sand.
Back in the early days when the school was getting going, the student demographic was quite a different picture and we continue to work hard to be able to make our courses accessible to people of every age and every walk of life. The common thread being that they all want to be the best they can be at woodworking – so they are in the right place here with us!
We are forever grateful for those of you who have been regular students here over the years, but we also acknowledge that the cost of our courses can prohibit young people from attending. We are working on projects with some secondary schools to upskill technology teachers who have turned to us for help. Keeping fine woodworking skills alive and kicking is our mission, and we need to ensure that these skills are passed on to future generations. Without the ability to offer ongoing opportunities to a younger generation of woodworkers coming through then our days could be numbered.
As a not for profit organisation and registered charity, running this place is always a juggle. Many other schools overseas have trust funds set up to offer scholarships for specific courses or with a specific criteria attached. Although this kind of opportunity is something we passionately want to offer to potential students on an onging basis it is not an easy task to make happen.
The 2024 Beginners Intensive Programme offers the Thorkild Hansen scholarship each year – a wonderful opportunity for a person aged between 18 and 25 who lives in the Top of the South / Te Tau Ihu who shows talent, determination and potential.
The recipient of the scholarship has the full fees of the 8-week programme paid for and a small travel allowance. The scholarship programme is now in it’s second year and was carefully planned in discussion with Thorkild and his family before he sadly passed away almost two years ago.
Our hope is that we continue to raise funds to keep this going for many years to come so we can continue to acknowledge the significant contribution Thorkild has given to the school in the almost fourteen years he was a teacher here. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all of those people who contributed towards the scholarship fund – almost all of who had participated in one or more of Thorkild’s courses here over the years.
If you are able to help continue this legacy in the form of a donation – however much or little – will all help and we would be hugely appreciative of your contribution. If you would like to discuss this further then please do get in touch.
Alternatively, if you have any experience or involvement regarding the setting up and/or fundraising for scholarships (or any other fundraising activities) we would love to have your feedback, tips and hints. Contact us here.
We are delighted to welcome Valentin to our team who is here as a full time intern as part of an Erasmus France (Education & Formation) Programme.
This wonderful opportunity for him is sponsored by the French government through Erasmus who have run a well established programme which supports the enrichment and opening of minds of young people from countries in the European Union.
Valentin has just completed a degree in furniture making and arrived here at the beginning of October and already is making himself very very useful. He will be with us for at least six months, possibly longer.
For us this is the first time we have taken on an intern, and we can see that it would be a wonderful ongoing mutually beneficial relationship with Erasmus to offer an opportunity to have an intern here with us and share the great Kiwi warmth and experience in return.
Win win, we say.
Cam Scott who is one of our current full time students is a very focussed 21 year old young man with the drive and desire to become a professional furniture maker.
To build on the skills he will take away from here at the end of the year, Cam has been accepted on a year long Bespoke Makers’ programme at the prestigious Williams & Cleal Fine Woodworking & Furniture School in Somerset, UK.
This programme will be tailor made Cam’s individual requirements, including portfolio development, building a design identity, advanced hand skills and machine techniques, and learning new complimentary skills like parquetry, marquetry and upholstery.
What an exciting future lies ahead of him; we are proud of you Cam and wish you well.
A warm welcome to Brian Reid who returns to teach the final term of our 2023 Furniture Makers’ Programme. Students have created some amazing work so far under the guidance of tutors Lou Fuller and Stuart Faulkner which will all be part of the graduate exhibition that opens on 8th December at the Parker Gallery here in Nelson.
Applications and expressions of interest are open for the 2024 Furniture Makers’ Programme – full details are here on our website. You are welcome to get in touch if you would like to have any questions answered or would like to arrange a visit prior to your application.
There has been some final shuffling around of the 2024 short course programme and the timetable has been updated and is now available on our website here.
You will notice that there are a few courses that say “New Course – TBC” which are mostly the new courses being under the umbrella of our mentoring programme generously funded through the Creative New Zealand Annual Arts Grant.
These courses will be finalised in the next month or so and the short course programme timetable will be updated in due course.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or want to discuss which course is the best fit.........look forward to seeing you here in the workshop next year.
As always - nice to catch up with you all!
Thanks for taking the time to read what's been and is happening here.
Kind regards from the small but MIGHTY team.
Today is the 17th August – exactly one year since we had to rapidly abandon the workshop due to the extreme weather event and flooding here in Nelson.
Today is sunny, cold and the snow on the Mount Arthur range is magnificent.
The driveway has finally been resealed and we no longer have to swerve around the potholes.
All is well in our world!
We are looking forward to the return of Brian Reid later in the year as he will be teaching the final term of the 2023 Furniture Makers’ Programme. After the roaring success of his master class earlier in the year (which was fully enrolled in less than a week!) we will be running this again at the end of the year – full details are here on our website.
In this five day technique based course students will learn to make many of the joints required to make a structurally sound cabinet and each student will create a sample board to take home .
Deadline for applications is 1st September
Do you know anyone under the age of 25 who lives in the Top of the South who shows real promise and a passion for woodworking? If you do, then please encourage them to apply for this wonderful opportunity to attend our 8-week Beginners Intensive Programme.
Full details are here.
9th – 14th October 2023
This course has been fully booked for quite a while, but unfortunately we have recently had two people cancel.
This 6 day class introduces the techniques of laminating and coopering and applies them to produce a beautiful bowl. This includes the processes of cutting your own laminates from solid timber, pressing them using a vacuum bag, and the process of building the form required to do so.
You also learn the process of making and using the jig required to cut the coopered parts and the cradle to support the glue up.
This is a great course with a great project to take home – get in touch if you would like to enrol.
Creative New Zealand | Toi Aotearoa
We are delighted to share the fantastic news that we have been successful in our application to Creative New Zealand in the Annual Arts Grants.
We will be receiving a substantial amount of funding towards a mentoring programme for our established and emerging tutors and creating a new generation of Aotearoa based teachers.
This exciting project is starting straight away and we have a well planned schedule over the next twelve months, so you will see some new tutors and new courses appear on the 2024 short course programme. There will also be some professional development opportunities for our existing tutors, who will be mentored by our eminent visiting tutors.
This project will be huge step forward for us both in terms of expanding our teaching team and a continuous upskilling and sharing knowledge amongst our existing tutors. Soooo exciting – a huge thank you to Creative New Zealand.
Maker of the Year
This annual and highly prestigious competition is still open for entries until 4th September, so if you are thinking about participating, there is still time..
Even if you aren’t going to enter, we highly recommend that you have a browse through the entries here – it’s really interesting to see the work of all these talented people whether they are professional makers or passionate hobbyists. There are a few of our “people” who have entered too, and the top 100 will be published on the Australian Wood Review website.
The jam-packed exciting 2024 short course programme is now available on our website here. There will be some additional information added as short course plans progress and you will be updated via our newsletter.
Over the last year or so we have noticed that courses are filling up quicker than ever, so if you are thinking about enrolling then please don’t leave it too long as we don’t want you to be disappointed. Having our new tutors deliver some additional short courses will give you more options to choose from, and our visiting tutors who teach in the full time programme will also be running a short course or master class.
Keep you posted……Looking forward to seeing you here!
As mentioned earlier we will have Brian Reid teach the final term of the full time programme. Brian is an amazingly skilled cabinet maker and has taught at the highly prestigious Center for Furniture Craftsmanship for almost 20 years.
We have one space available in this final term so if you are would like an opportunity to come in for this 8-week period to design and make a cabinet under Brian’s wing then please get in touch for some further details.
You would need to show us evidence that your existing skill level would be a good fit for this final term.
As always - nice to catch up with you all!
Thanks for taking the time to read what's been and is happening here.
Kind regards from the small but MIGHTY team.
New Short Course - The Mark of a Well-Made Drawer - 1st-3rd August
Carving Courses in August - Intro to Carving, Spoon Carving & Letter Carving
What's been happening in the workshop these last few months.....
2024 Furniture Makers' Programme
Emerge Exhibition
Beginners' Intensive Programme & Scholarship
Congratulations to David Haig
Stuart is heading over to teach Term 3 of the Furniture Makers’ Programme and we have managed to sneak in a short course beforehand. In this 3-day course students will enjoy the experience of crafting and fitting a classic drawer.
A small sample drawer will be made in order to cover all the fine intricasies for a well made and well fitted drawer. Details are on our website here.
Intro to Carving - 12th/13th August
Intro to Spoon Carving 14th/15th August
Intro to Letter Carving 16th/17th August
Get in touch if you are interested...
It's been a busy few months with our visiting tutors and there's been a great buzz and energy in the short course workshop teaching area.
A huge thank you to Andy Buck, Hape Kiddle, Dave Gilberd of Goldbeard Guitars and Ben Grant for sharing their passion, wisdom and experience with our students.
Andy taught a 5-day design workshop during his fleeting visit to New Zealand and we talked him (& Ben & Lou) into staying around to carve a mobius with Hape - great sessions, great conversations and all very inspiring.
Hape Kiddle taught four different carving courses and organised some wonderful evening get togethers which we have now called "chip & chat" - chipping and chiseling timber, eating chips and hanging out with each other. Pure gold. Looking forward to the next visit Hape.
Ben was teaching assistant to Lou Fuller who taught the set project in Term 2 of the iconic David Haig hoop stool. Coincidentally, David Haig was teaching the same course at the same time at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine - the same project at both sides of the world! More about David's trip later in the newsletter.
Dave Gilberd had a full class of students making their own acoustic guitar with one student fulfilling a long ambition to create his own flamenco guitar. A fabulous three weeks with six stunning guitars and six very happy students.
So this is a little bit of me (Helen aka the manager) sharing my recent experience in the workshop. I am often asked if I do any woodworking and the answer is I don't. It's a pretty hectic but very fulfilling job running this special place, but I decided that I would participate in Hape Kiddle's Mobius/Gidgee 3-day course even though I was very busy and in the thick of a funding application. I turned off my phone, closed the office door and became a student. I absolutely loved it and was so proud of the piece I created - I could hardly believe it (Thanks Hape!).
Anyway the point of this story is that the experience made me truly understand how our students feel at the end of a course - happy, proud, focused, fulfilled, nourished, refreshed and taking away with them such a great sense of achievement (or in my case I was just downright smug).
Being creative is such an important part of our well being and brings a much better balance in life.
Applications are still being considered for our 2024 Furniture Makers’ Programme – do get in touch if you have any questions, would like to arrange a visit or would like to discuss your application.
We showcased the work from the eight graduates of the 2022 Furniture Makers’ Programme at a new venue - the Parker Gallery here in Nelson which finished a couple of weeks ago. The exhibition was a roaring success and a wonderful celebration of the work produced by the students under the guidance of Lou Fuller, David Haig, Michael Fortune & Brian Reid.
Huge thanks to Leonie who owns the Parker Gallery for her faith in us, the time she took to engage with the students before the exhibition and giving them such an amazing opportunity to exhibit alongside well established artists in a commercial gallery setting.
A virtual video tour and the gallery of work is now available to view on our website here so please take a look.
Here are a few images to whet your apetite.
Also a reminder that applications for the Thorkild Hansen Scholarship Programme to attend this 8-week course closes on 1st August. If you, or you know anyone who shows a talent for woodworking and fits the criteria to apply then please put forward an application. Full details are here.
Fantastic news on the King's Birthday Honours List to hear that David was awarded the title of Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to woodworking.
Congratulations from everyone here who knows you Dave - we are super proud of you.
Here are a couple of excerpts from David's Instagram page whilst over the last six weeks he has been Artist in Residence at the Centre for Furniture Craftsmanship, Maine, USA.
"I have 4 weeks as Artist in Residence, followed by a two week Curvature class, which I will be co-teaching with the legendary Yuri Kobayashi. As Yuri is also the senior Fellow in the Residency and Fellowship building, and my bench is right opposite hers, it means I have six full weeks alongside Yuri..a huge honour and real pleasure.
With the other Fellowship interns as well as the final two weeks of the Nine month programme coming to an end and all their students with their superb exhibition already up, it really is a feast for a woodworker and I’m absolutely loving it. I'm working on a bench base I built 4 years ago during an earlier residency, (its beside me on the floor) but which I never felt was complete. So I'm working on fitting a simple back rest...well it'll look simple!
I also brought over a Hoop stool to have as an example for the Curvature class…it was interesting bringing it in its crate as extra baggage...there were a lot of different theories as to what it contained. But I'm posting today for another reason. On Monday, New Zealand time, the list of awards was made public in what was called the King's Coronation Honours List. To my utter amazement, my name was on that list. So I now have the letters after my name of being a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Woodworking, which pleased me immensely as I've always thought of myself first and foremost as a woodworker. Plus it's one of the basic craft disciplines that is often overlooked, so it also helps putting woodworking on the map.
Of course my first reaction was "Why me?". There are better woodworkers out there, and some who've done a lot more than me in the field of, for instance, education. But then again, I didn't choose this, so I must accept this with gratitude and leave it for others to decide the relative merits of this award. Thanks for reading this far.....I am truly grateful and very honoured, but now I must get back to shaping......."
As always - nice to catch up with you all!
Thanks for taking the time to read what's been and is happening here.
Kind regards from the small but MIGHTY team.
We have so much going on here at the moment – out of necessity (Covid related) we had to delay the start of the 2022 Furniture Makers’ Programme for almost five months, and this now finishes on 5th May.
Reverting to its usual start date, at the beginning of April we welcomed our new intake of students for the 2023 Furniture Makers’ Programme and so there has been a crossover of brand new students with those who are just about ready to fly from our nest. For those of you who know us you can imagine the laughter, the banter and the quite frankly amazing work that is being created under the guidance of our two tutors Lou Fuller and the irrepressible Brian Reid.
What a team these two make and what a joy.
We are looking forward to Hape Kiddle being back here with us in the workshop in early June, and both the Seed Pod and the Mobius courses are now fully booked up. We have just now added in an additional course where students will carve a wearable Möbius from the extremely hard, durable, and incredibly beautiful Australian desert Acacia, Gidgee.
Carving Gidgee differs considerably from carving other wood, sometimes been more akin to shaping stone.
For those of you who haven’t spent time here carving with Hape please do consider this course or the Netsuke course which still has space available. Hape’s teaching style, philosophy about craft and design (and life) is highly infectious and inspiring – don’t miss out on a great opportunity.
Andy Buck will be here with us soon offering a great addition to our short course programme.
He will teach a five day course taking a deep, practical and resourceful dive into the design process.
This is a one-off opportunity for those of you who are keen to develop your own design style and gain confidence to design and create your own projects.
We have a couple of places left on this not to be missed course and highly encourage you to join us – full details are here.
The 2024 Short Course Programme is nearly there with lots of exciting new and existing courses planned. Very soon you will be able to download and print off the timetable and plan your next trip to hang out here in the workshop with us. In the mean time check out what’s happening here for the remainder of 2023.
Applications are open for the 2024 Furniture Makers’ Programme – you are welcome to get in touch if you have any questions, would like to arrange a visit or would like to discuss your application.
In this topsy turvy world we live in, it’s so nice when a random act of kindness and immense generosity takes place.
One of our new students, who attended the 2-week Introduction to Fine Woodworking course, was very impressed with our set-up, what we do here and the supportive and nurturing vibe of the workshop. Turns out that they are part of the progressive organisation Switch Lighting here in Nelson, who are the leading manufacturers in New Zealand of LED lighting. Switch Lighting have very generously offered to upgrade our entire workshop lighting at no cost to us and Phase 1 is done, with Phase 2 happening soon.
The difference is amazing – not only for our students and tutors, but it will also make a positive impact on our monthly power bill (which you can imagine is a little eye watering).
As a not for profit organisation, we do appreciate on these wonderful gestures of kindness that happen from time to time, so a big thank you to Switch Lighting.
As always - nice to catch up with you all!
Thanks for taking the time to read what's been and is happening here.
Kind regards from the small but MIGHTY team.
2023 kicked off with a hiss and a roar and here we are already into March. After experiencing first-hand the Nelson floods back in August 2022, our hearts go out to those who have suffered as a result of the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in the North Island.
Looking forward to sharing with you our news, updates and exciting plans for the future. Coming up…
2023 Short Course Programme
Beginners’ Intensive Scholarship
Andy Buck Master Class, May 2023
Artist in Residency Programmes 2024 & 2025
Applications open for the 2024 Furniture Makers’ Programme
What’s been happening in the workshop ?
Early in January we welcomed back Hape Kiddle to teach two carving courses as well as sharing two very inspiring days with our eight full time students. Hape's energy and enthusiasm was a great start to the year and he'll be back again in June and spaces are filling fast.
A lovely feedback tale from Hape's Mobius course came via the wife of one of the participants who said he came home with the completed Mobius in his hands and she said he was so proud of what he had created he looked like he was holding an Oscar.
We were delighted to welcome our new tutor Ben Grant who taught a 6-day Introduction to Laminating & Coopering course where students created an elegant and eye catching vessel – a great starting point to try out new techniques and inspire your future projects.
Ben will run this course again in October – more details are here on our website. Ben was a participant in the 2020 Michael Fortune Residency Programme, and with the generous support of funding from Creative New Zealand we were able to work with him in developing the course and add yet another great addition to our short course programme.
We warmly welcome Geoff Korver back to the workshop in August to teach his very popular suite of carving courses:-
Introduction to Carving
Introduction to Spoon Carving
Introduction to Letter Carving
Carving - Next Level
These courses have been planned together for anyone who wants to book into multiple courses and really get into carving. Geoff's style of carving is very different from Hape Kiddle's more organic aesthetic. Having this wide range of regular carving courses really does give you the opportunity to master a new and additional skill to your toolbox.
Scholarship Opportunity
Our very popular 8-week Beginners’ Intensive Programme in October is now fully enrolled.
However, there is one remaining place which we have allocated to a wonderful scholarship opportunity for one young person who lives in the Top of the South, Te Tau Ihu and this final place will be awarded to the recipient of the Thorkild Hansen Scholarship - the link will give you full details, application form and scholarship criteria.
It’s fair to say that here in the workshop we are very busy! We have tried to plan lots of short courses alongside the more intensive programmes that take place each year, and enrolments numbers are at an all time high. What this does mean for you, our lovely students, is that courses are filling up quickly and some people are missing out on courses.
At this end, it’s not as easy as just scheduling another course later on, as it depends on who is teaching and where they come from, and the short course programme is generally planned 18 months in advance.
To put it bluntly – you snooze, you lose (as they say) - even if you are vaguely interested in a course it's worth getting in touch so you can be "pencilled in" on the list.
Contrary to the above, we have sneaked into the 2023 programme a “not to be missed” opportunity when we heard that Andy Buck was going to be teaching at Wood Dust 23 in Melbourne in May.
Andy has been invited to teach a 5-day design inspiration/development course which will be tailored to students who are ready to start thinking about moving from making set projects to designing some of their own work.
Andy is a highly experienced maker, sculptor and educator and was a student of Wendell Castle and we are thrilled to have him agree to come and visit here for the first time. Details are just being finalized but if this course sounds of interest to you then please get in touch and we can send through further details in the next week or so.
We are thrilled to announce the return of our Artist in Residency Programmes and applications are now open for the 2024 Michael Fortune Residency Programme and full details are here on our website. We have received much interest in this exciting 6-week opportunity to immerse yourself in a new project under Michael’s guidance, and full details about how to apply are here on our website.
We are getting close to finalising the plans for our 2025 Residency Programme when we will warmly welcome the long-awaited visit from Aled Lewis.
We have been planning to bring Aled here since 2020 just before the pandemic hit the world.
Keep an eye out on our website for more details - soon to be announced....
2024 Artist in Residency Programme with Michael Fortune
2025 Artist in Residency Programme with Aled Lewis
With the Covid related delayed start of the 2022 Furniture Makers’ Programme, the graduate exhibition will now take place in early May at the Parker Gallery here in Nelson. Term 3 (Chair Making) has just finished under the amazing guidance of Michael Fortune. Here is a sneaky photo of one of the finished chair projects by Ben Tindall. Michael has nurtured eight unique and complex projects from his students with exciting and beautifully executed results.
We look forward to sharing the official images of the amazing projects from the graduates of the 2022 Furiture Makers' Programme with you towards the middle of the year when they will be added into the gallery pages of our website.
We are now accepting applications for the 2024 Furniture Makers’ Programme and full details of how to apply, a downloadable Prospectus and further details are available on our website here
We are now open for applications to attend the 2024 Furniture Makers' Programme. Early expressions of interest are recommended as the programme is limited to eight students and places are highly sought after.
Whenever possible we welcome visits prior to applying so please get in touch to arrange this.
Farewell dear Wadkin - you have been awesome - Enjoy your retirement in the safe hands of the wheelwright and carriage restorer.
Welcome dear Felder - looking forward to your awesomeness
As always - nice to catch up with you all!
Thanks for taking the time to read what's been and is happening here.
Kind regards from the small but MIGHTY team.
Welcome to our final newsletter of 2022 as we hurtle towards Christmas and a well deserved break. So we've survived yet another challenging year of Covid, course disruptions, cancellations and on top of that the dramatic floods here in Nelson.
Despite all of that it’s been a busy year with full courses, a great atmosphere and creative energy here in the workshop with lots of new and familiar faces. A big thank you to all for your continued support through these rocky times!
A huge thank you to the wonderful team of tutors, technician, trustees and volunteers that keep this very special place going - your commitment, passion and ability to go way over and beyond the call of duty are very much appreciated.
So from the small but MIGHTY team we wish you all happy holidays and here's to 2023 - let's hope it's a vintage year.
So here’s an unashamable plug for those who are looking to buy meaningful Christmas presents – how about a lovely Centre for Fine Woodworking Apron or a gift voucher to put towards any of our courses ? Wouldn’t that make someone you know really happy ?
If either of these options sound like a good idea and an easy tick off your “Xmas To Do List” the please get in touch.
Gift vouchers can be personalised and emailed to you so you can print it off, but if you want an apron then we will do our very best to get it to you in time.
The school workshop is closed from Friday 16th December and will reopen on Monday 9th January 2023. You can take a chance and email during closure as emails will be checked sporadically or you can get in touch once we reopen.
The timetable for next year’s short course programme is available here so you can start hatching a plan to come and spend some time with us in the workshop. For anyone who is around the Nelson region in mid – January we have a spaces available on the Woodworking Basics course 12th -15th January and also on Hape Kiddle’s - Carve a Mobius course 20th-22nd January – get in touch if you would like to enrol.
We are delighted to watch the growing trend in those expressing interest in enrolling on the Furniture Makers’ Programme – our flagship 32-week full time, four term intensive course which runs each year.
Our 2023 Programme has been fully enrolled for many months but due to unforeseen circumstances we have just had a cancellation. If you are interested in submitting (or resubmitting) an application to attend the 2023 Programme then please get in touch.
Full details of the course, the prospectus and application process can be viewed here on our website.
Early next year we will have the scheduled dates for the 2024 programme on our website and will be open for applications at the end of January.
We are excitedly awaiting the delivery of our new sliding table saw!! Regrettably we made the decision that our lovely old Wadkin saw (which has been with us since day dot) is no longer coping with our demands. This wonderful machine, as well as our 12” Wadkin jointer, will becoming available for sale early in 2023.
Both machines are 3-phase and have been tenderly overhauled and cared for throughout the time we have owned them (approx 14 years). Both machines have their operating manuals and we would love to see them rehoused to someone who is going to put them to good use. Delivery time for the table saw is a bit vague at this stage but if you are interested in learning more about either of these machines or would like some further details then please get in touch.
We also have a a number of Veritas saws 12tpi ripsaws – they have hardly ever been used so are in very good condition $125 Plus postage
Just a reminder that as our 2022 Furniture Makers’ Programme had a delayed start – due to Covid/border closures/Nelson flooding (!!!) we will not be having our usual timing in December of our graduate exhibition. This will now take place in early May and we will keep you posted with further details early next year.
Over the last couple of years with all the chaos that has happened, our Friends of the School programme has been put on a bit of a back burner. In saying that we are very grateful for those kind people who continue to make donations to us.
We realise that not everyone is aware that the school is a registered charity and a not for profit organisation. Any surplus funds or grants generated go directly back into adding tools, equipment, people, creative opportunities and enhancing the student experience.
To mark our sixteenth birthday early next year we will relaunch the Friends of the School donation programme in the hope that this will be well supported in placing us in a strong position for future generations of fine woodworkers. It's hard to quantify how many students have been through the school over the years but we estimate it is around 2000. That's 2000 people that we have upskilled and inspired, and no doubt many of those 2000 people have shared their newly found knowledge and shared it with someone else they know too. Isn't that a heartwarming fact - that we really are protecting, preserving and passing on the craft of fine woodworking to so many people. Warm fuzzies all round.
Those of you who know us, truly understand the level of passion, hard work, grit, determination and stamina that goes into running this very special place. We do it because we truly believe in the school's vision to offer the highest level of fine woodworking in the Southern Hemisphere.
We are always open to hear ideas regarding fundraising and/or sponsorship so if you can help us in any way we would love to hear from you.
Warm greetings from a beautiful Spring day here in Nelson – the workshop doors are wide open and all is well in our world.
2022 is hurtling towards an end so we thought it timely to keep you posted about what’s on the menu for next year in the hope that we can entice you to come and spend time with us.
Read MoreHope this newsletter finds everyone in fine fettle! Read about how we have fared during the recent wild weather, meet the 2022 Furniture Makers’ Programme students, and be inspired by Hape Kiddle’s recent workshop.
Read MoreWe thought it was about time to catch up with you again and let you know what’s been happening here in the workshop and what we have on offer for 2022/23 . The 2023 programme is just about ready to be launched so we will let you know as soon as that’s gone live. Thanks to everyone who has supported the school by enrolling on our courses throughout these unpredictable times - you will be pleased to know we are busier than ever!
We were thrilled to finally run the 3-week Acoustic Guitar Making course which has had to be postponed multiple times due to Covid. The course was fully booked and a huge success thanks to Dave Gilberd of Goldbeard Guitars who taught here with us for the first time.
Six beautiful bespoke guitars were created and customised to each student’s requirements -with careful planning and discussion before the students arrived here on Day 1.
Dave uses both traditional timbers often used for guitar making as well as giving his students the option to work with native New Zealand timbers such as Kauri and Kahikatea which contrasted beautifully with the more traditional Rosewood and Mahogany timbers. One student made a classical guitar as a gift for his wife, and another made one for his godson back in Ireland. The guitar making course is scheduled to run in 2023 from 15th May - 3rd June - places are strictly limited to six students only so we recommend early expressions of interest to avoid disappointment.
We have seven different carving courses on offer and in particular we will warmly welcome Hape Kiddle who lives, carves and teaches in Australia - this will be the first time he will have visited us and we are very excited.
Hape is a sculptor, jeweller and carver and comes highly recommended as a wonderful and inspiring teacher. Have a look at his website to learn more about him.
He is teaching three 3-day courses each using different techniques but all three courses are suitable for those who have done some carving and those who have no previous experience. The carving toolkits are provided so you don’t need to bring any tools with you. The courses are :
We have limited places available in all three courses - please get in touch if you are interested in enrolling.
We also have our four regular carving courses running again in September - Intro to Carving, Spoon Carving and Letter Carving. We have also tweaked the content of our longer 5-day course which we called “Advanced Carving” - the title seemed to put people off a little but essentially it is a course for those who already have some carving experience and would like to attempt a new project either of their own choice or something the tutor, Geoff Korver, has provided.
The project on offer will be the carving and creating of a beautiful walking stick which even if not required as a walking aid it is indeed a lovely object. Discussion will take place with the tutor before the course starts so that your requirements can be met to get your project going.
Have a look at all our carving courses here.
Intro to Carving, Spoon Carving and Letter Carving.
Advanced Carving Course.
It’s been great to hear what some of our former students have been busy with recently and funny how our woodworking community spreads across the world and reconnects us.
Michael & Leon in Brazil
Michael Fortune has just finished teaching a course in Brazil - and it was delightful to see a photo pop up on Instagram with him and one of our students who attended the very first Beginners’ Intensive Programme - Leon Ades who was living in New Zealand and has since returned to Brazil and works as a successful furniture maker.
We will hear all about Michael’s trip to Brazil when he is here with us for the 3-week Design & Development Programme in November.
Peter Cowper who is a graduate of the 2014 Furniture Makers’ Programme appeared in a recent article in an Australian trade magazine (AWISA).
Peter has created a bespoke and limited lighting range “Curl” under his aptly named business Bespoke by Design.
Read about Peter’s success story here.
Josephine Jelicich was a graduate of the 2018 Furniture Makers’ Programme and is currently on a two month artist in residency programme run by Eden Arts in Auckland.
Josephine is part of our project which is being funded by Creative New Zealand for us to mentor a new generation of teachers here at the school so you will be seeing more of her here next year
Finally we were very grateful to Adrienne Matthews who wrote a lovely story about the Thorkild Hansen Scholarship Programme and the first recipient, Thijs Schrader, who completed the 8-week Beginners Intensive Programme back in June.
Read the article here.
So hopefully you like our new look newsletter - the aim is that we share news, tips and tricks, student and tutor profiles and (deep breath) we are in the very early stages of setting up our own YouTube channel. In the meantime, happy woodworking days to you and stay safe and well .
Best wishes from the small but mighty team at the Centre for Fine Woodworking.
